Mike Hanrahan is a singer-songwriter and guitarist born in

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

, in September 1958. Hanrahan spent fifteen years with

Stockton's Wing Stockton's Wing is an Irish band formed in 1977 by four All-Ireland champion musicians; Paul Roche on flute/whistle, Maurice Lennon on fiddle, Tommy Hayes on bodhran, and Kieran Hanrahan on banjo/ mandolin, along with Tony Callinan on guita ...

as songwriter, guitarist and singer, and ten years with

Ronnie Drew Joseph Ronald Drew (16 September 1934 – 16 August 2008) was an Irish people, Irish singer, folk musician and actor who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners. He is most recognised for his lead voc ...

as guitarist, writer and producer. Hanrahan spent 12 years on the board of IMRO

Irish Music Rights Organisation The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in Ireland on behalf of its members (who are songwriters, composers and music publishers) and on behalf of the songwrite ...

, from 1994 to 2006. Three of those years he served as Deputy Chairman of IMRO, and six years as chairman.

Career

In 1977, Hanrahan worked with

Maura O'Connell Maura O'Connell (born 16 September 1958) is an Irish singer and actress. She is known for her contemporary interpretations of Irish folk songs, strongly influenced by American country music. Background O'Connell was born in Ennis, the main t ...

in a duo called Tumbleweed. In 1979, Hanrahan replaced Tony Callinan in Stockton's Wing and recorded ''Take a Chance''. In 1980 Hanrahan recorded ''A Light in the Western Sky'' with Stockton's Wing, which featured six of Hanrahan's songs, including ''Beautiful Affair'' and ''Walkaway''. In 1994, Hanrahan left Stockton's Wing after 15 years and several albums. He toured with Finbar Furey as guitarist and recorded two albums. He also released a solo album, Someone Like You, for the Wundertutte label in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In 1997 Ronnie Drew and Mike Hanrahan went on tour, called Ronnie I Hardly Knew Ya. Hanrahan produced The Humour Is on Me Now, and An Evening with Ronnie Drew and Mike Hanrahan. He also produced and performed on the Ronnie Drew and Eleanor Shanley Live album and the studio album El amore de mi vida. In 2011 Stockton's Wing, including Hanrahan, played several reunion concerts. In 2012, Hanrahan played live shows with

Leslie Dowdall Leslie Dowdall is an Irish singer-songwriter from Howth, County Dublin. She was the singer in trad/rock group In Tua Nua IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, G ...

from

In Tua Nua IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Indepen ...

. In 2016, he wrote and produced a show to commemorate the music and songs of 1916 with Kerry legend Brendan Begley. the Show Dublin Burning received critical acclaim. Stocktons Wing returned in 2017 and 2018 to celebrate their 40th anniversary. He is a trained cook and teacher from Ballymaloe Organic farm and Cookery school.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanrahan, Mike 1958 births Living people Irish male singer-songwriters Irish male guitarists Stockton's Wing members